All Posts by Kelsey Samsel

One of the best views of the Columbia River Gorge can be seen from Vista House. This historic site celebrated 100 years of existence in May of 2018 and is a must-see if you are driving through The Gorge. Samuel Lancaster came up with the idea to build Vista House as a way to inspire […]

I always drive past Zigzag Mountain Cafe on my way to Mt. Hood and wonder if it’s good. My dad and I stopped at Zigzag for sandwiches when I was a kid but I haven’t been back since. I have always remembered thinking the sandwiches were amazing. Zigzag is open until 2pm Monday-Friday, (6pm Saturday […]

I was recently asked if I wanted to do a “sunrise hike” in the Mt. Hood area before we officially transition into fall and lose our clear mornings. I immediately said yes without thinking of the consequences. Those consequences being waking up at 4:30 in the morning and hiking 6 miles. We got to Timberline […]

If you want to sit back and relax with a great glass of wine and an incredible view, Maryhill Winery is the place to go. We visited the Goldendale, Washington location in September and the weather was just warm enough to still sit outside. The winery opened in 2001 and has over 75,000 visitors per […]

If you are looking for food options in the Welches area, Wraptitude should be on your list. We recently went after hiking Lower Twin Lake and were impressed with how good it was. According to their website, they sell “gourmet wraps, burgers, and beers” and we found that to be very accurate. They sell salads, […]

Have you ever been hiking up a massive hill absolutely certain you weren’t going to make it, and then somehow, you do? That was my experience with Mitchell Point. Going into it, I knew it was going to be “difficult” but I had no idea. “It will be worth it”, they said… and it was. […]

It’s apple season! We have been to Mt. View twice now and it’s one of our favorite orchards in Hood River. The owner and employees are incredibly kind and helpful and seem to genuinely love what they do. With 50 acres and over 50 years of familial dedication, they have built an incredible business. More recently, they […]

There are so many stunning lakes in the Mt. Hood region. I haven’t been to all of them yet, but this summer I tried to visit as many as I could.  Below are three of my favorite lakes I have been to so far. They are all great camping spots and they range in hiking […]

Trillium Lake is one of the most popular places to camp in the Mt. Hood National Forest. It’s also one of the best places to take an up-close photo of Mt. Hood. When I went, it was foggy and dreary so the mountain wasn’t visible but it was still really beautiful.  For those of you […]

Every year, the Swan Island Dahlia fields open for the months of August and September. With almost 40 acres of dahlias, they have become the largest in the country and their fresh-cut flowers make up about 90% of their business. They